U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,559, issued Nov. 30, 1982, discloses (as antiinflammatory agents) 3-ketoandrostenes having in the 17-position the substituents A.sub.1 --S-- and A.sub.2 --S-- wherein A.sub.1 and A.sub.2 are the same or different and each is alkyl, cycloalkyl or aryl.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,840, issued June 13, 1978, discloses (as antiinflammatory agents) androstenes having the partial structural formula ##STR4## wherein A.sub.3 is --S--, ##STR5## A.sub.4 is alkyl, aryl, acyloxyalkyl, and the A.sub.5 groups are halogen.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,036, issued May 23, 1978, discloses (as antiinflammatory agents) androstenes having the partial structural formula ##STR6## wherein A.sub.3 and A.sub.4 are as defined above, and A.sub.6 and A.sub.7 are the same or different and are hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, carboalkoxy, formyl, ##STR7## hydroxy, halogen, phenyl or cyano, with the proviso that when A.sub.6 and A.sub.7 are different, one of A.sub.6 and A.sub.7 is hydrogen.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,538, issued Mar. 27, 1979, discloses (as antiinflammatory agents) androstenes having the partial structural formula ##STR8## wherein A.sub.3 and A.sub.4 are as defined above, and A.sub.8 and A.sub.9 are the same or different and are hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, or alkoxy, or A.sub.8 and A.sub.9 together with the benzene ring to which they are attached form a naphthalene group.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,815, issued May 5, 1981 discloses (as chemical intermediates) androstenes having the partial structural formula ##STR9## wherein A.sub.10 is alkyl, aryl, arylalkyl or acyloxyalkyl and A.sub.11 is chloro, bromo, alkoxy, aryloxy, alkylthio or arylthio.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,733, issued Feb. 24, 1981, discloses (as antiinflammatory agents) androstenes having the partial structural formula ##STR10## wherein A.sub.12 is alkyl or aryl, A.sub.13 is oxygen or sulfur and A.sub.14 is alkyl or arylalkyl, or together the A.sub.14 groups are --(CH.sub.2)--.sub.2 or 3.